


Song of the Woods

by SydAce



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Animals, Gen, Snake!Crowley - Freeform, snake - Freeform, woods
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-09 17:04:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19891321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SydAce/pseuds/SydAce
Summary: You go to the woods for your safe place. After a particularly tough day, you meet a snake.





	1. Chapter 1

The songs of the birds would drift through the trees and dance into your ears. Red squirrels would sometimes visit you and allow you to stroke their fur. It was only on a few occasions that you’d see a weasel. Every time one would show itself, it was as if it were a forest spirit. It’d appear to your left and then the next moment to your right. You’d play games with the small mustelid until its attention would drift elsewhere. All of the animals spoke to you. Not in the way that humans do, but you knew how to listen. It allowed you to get along with them. It was in the woods, past the bridge between urbanization and the wild where you could forget all of your worries.

Though, it was on a day where you had been broken by the cruelty of humanity. You ran into the woods sobbing. Your arms wrapped around your favorite tree, clutching onto the bark for dear life. It was a few minutes in that you felt something slither past your arm. You jumped, wondering if it was an adder. Instead, it was a snake that wasn’t native to the UK. You stopped crying to admire the snake as it slithered up your arm and around your shoulders.

“H-hello,” you stammered and sniffed. Whatever had you upset was a million miles away now. “Aren’t you beautiful?”

The snake curled around to look at you in the face. Its golden eyes were striking. You blinked as it stared at you. It wasn’t speaking like a typical animal. The animal had more of a sentience similar to people than a wild animal.

You cleared your throat. “Um, sorry if this sounds strange and all, but you…What exactly are you?”

The snake stuck its tongue out rapidly and put it back in. It was as if it was trying to be a snake. It didn’t seem like it was trying to smell the air.

“Right, well, I’ll just let you pretend and I’ll play along with you being a snake. Probably for the best. I must sound insane if you are, indeed, a snake. But, well,” you groaned and looked up towards the sky. “Never mind. You’re embarrassing yourself, [Y/N]. Why would a snake care if I thought it wasn’t a snake?” You looked back at the snake to see it was still staring at you as if it was taking in every word you were saying.

Slowly, you moved to take a seat to make sure you didn’t disturb the snake. For a moment, you stopped to listen to the woods for any sign something was off. The birds weren’t singing. You didn’t hear the usual snapping of twigs. It was still.

“Is this your doing?” you asked the snake. Your finger ran along its scales, but you paused when you realized some snakes don’t like being touched. However, the snake seemed to follow your hand, so you continued to massage it. “Is everything quiet because of you?”

The moment you asked that question, the song of the woods came back. You arched an eyebrow at the snake but shrugged it off. Perhaps you were just hyper-focusing on the snake. Unlikely, but it was possible…You guessed.

“So what are you doing here?” you inquired as your hand gently traced the perimeter of the snake’s head. “You’re not exactly native here.” You paused. “Are you some sort of god or something?” You gave a crooked smile at the snake. “That’d be pretty awesome.”

“No, I’m not a god,” the snake hissed. It froze the moment it spoke. You froze the moment it spoke.

“Uh, okay,” you said. “The talking snake is not a god. Something else, but not a god.” You moved your hands to pick up the snake and you held it in front of you. “So, if you don’t mind me asking, what are you?” The snake kept its mouth shut. You rolled your eyes. “Oh come on, I just heard you speak! You know, you’re not very good at pretending to be a snake, either!”

“Fine, but are you sure you want to know?”

“I mean, are you going to eat me?”

“No.”

“Otherwise kill me or harm me?”

“No.”

“Then sure, why the Hell not?”

The snake grew larger into your hands. It grew and grew until it had to be placed on the ground. It was larger than an anaconda. You weren’t filled with fear, as most would be, but with awe. “I,” the snake hissed out. It started to morph into the shape of a man. “Am a demon.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You head to the woods in search of your demonic friend. You bring a bottle of wine, a bouquet of lilacs, and a card confessing your feelings.

Whenever you went to the woods, you’d search for your demonic friend. There were times where he was in his snake form and others he was in his human form. But he was always there waiting for you to show up during the evening.

“Crowley!” you sang out and climbed over a variety of logs, careful to not damage the bag you were carrying. You stopped at the tree that you had first met him and looked around, trying to see if you could spot him. “Crowley?”

The birds were still singing and the wind whispered through the branches. Crowley wasn’t there. You frowned, wondering where the demon may have gone. Putting the bag on the ground, you slumped down and leaned against the tree.

“He’s always here,” you sighed to yourself. You leaned your head against the bark of the tree and watched some of the birds fly from branch to branch. Some flew down and landed on your leg. You lifted your hand up towards them, but they flew off instantly. Sighing, you closed your eyes. Before you knew, you had drifted off.

You had fallen to your side. You woke with a start and looked around frantically. You were in the woods. Sighing, you shifted so you were sitting back up. It was dark, the only light that came through were the stars and the moon.

Your eyes trailed to the bag that still laid on the ground. Inside the bag were a bottle of wine, a bouquet of violet lilacs, and a card you had written out for Crowley. Of course, the one day you worked up the nerve he wasn’t there.

But something was off. You looked around, trying to figure out what was wrong. That’s when you realized it, the woods were silent.

“Crowley?” you called out. “Are you there?”

“You’re still here,” he breathed out in relief. Your head shot over and saw him stumbled over some logs in his human form. Though, something was off with the way he was walking. It seemed more somber than usual. Usually, he walked with such uncaring confidence, but this was fearful. His steps were heavier.

“What’s wrong?” You immediately stood up and quickly walked up to him. Your hands held his arms as you examined his body. He was shaking and his breathing was ragged. “Crowley, what happened?”

“It’s here,” he murmured. He leaned forward and rested his head on your shoulder. “It’s here.”

“What’s here?” you asked. Your arms lifted and held him to you. His shaking only increased. “Crowley, what’s going on?”

“Armageddon,” Crowley muttered. “The antichrist was born. I just delivered him to his family. That’s why I’m late.”

You ran your hand through Crowley’s hair while thinking to yourself. The crickets had started to chirp again. The owls spoke amongst each other while you listened to them. The animals didn’t sense any danger once they got used to Crowley, but you weren’t sure if they could detect the end of the world.

“It’ll all be alright,” you soothed the still shaking demon. Your eyes glanced over to where the bag was resting. It could help. It had alcohol for him if anything. “Come on, I got something for you.” You grabbed his hands and led them over to the tree.

You knelt down and somewhat blindly gripped around the bag. You pulled out the bottle of wine and held it out to the demon. “The store owner said that this was one of his favorites. It’s not chilled anymore, but that’s easy enough to fix.” Crowley sat next to you and took the bottle. A small smile formed on his face, though it was more melancholy than anything. “I also got you some lilacs,” you said softly and gently took them out of the bag.

Crowley’s eyebrows raised as he took the flowers. A light heat rose to his cheeks. Not only was it rare for him to ever get flowers, maybe once on his time on Earth, but lilacs had a special meaning. He wasn’t sure if you intended it to mean the first emotions of love, but he hoped it did.

“What’s this for?” he asked.

You swallowed down your fear. What Crowley had just been through must have been more terrifying. Taking a deep breath, you grabbed the card. You silently handed it to him. It seemed at that moment, all of the animals in the woods sensed your anxiety and grew quiet.

Crowley took the card and opened it. You swore inside your head as he began reading it in the dark of night. You shrunk inside yourself and busied yourself by creating shapes in the dirt. You inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to calm your racing heart. You didn’t want to look at him in case he rejected you. Now that you thought about it, maybe this wasn’t the thing he needed on top of the stress of the end of the world.

“Crowley, I’m sorr—” you were cut off when you were pulled to his chest.

“I love you,” he breathed out into your hair. “I won’t let the world end. I won’t let you die. I swear.”

You wrapped your arms around him and smiled. “I trust you.” The woods started to sing once more.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been eight years since you've last seen Crowley.

The day after Crowley had delivered the antichrist, he wasn’t there in the woods. Nor the day after that. Or the day after that. He wasn’t ever there. You didn’t mind. You knew he was putting an end to the apocalypse. You would wait for him, forever if you had to. It seemed as though you could wait forever, too. It took a few years, but you noticed that time seemed to be frozen around you. You didn’t age, not a day.

And all though you hadn’t aged a day since you had last seen Crowley, there were still signs of Crowley. A note would be placed on the tree where you met from time to time. It would be short and simple. There were times where he’d tell you he was with the antichrist. Or sometimes, it would only say, “I love you.”

You would grow lonely at times. You had missed seeing your serpent love. No matter what snakes would show themselves to you, it wasn’t the same. It did help. Though, the squirrels were better at distracting you. They’d run up your leg and onto your shoulder while you hiked around the woods.

In another way to distract yourself, you kept busy and worked various part-time jobs. Though, one of your favorite jobs was being a babysitter for a family. You’d take him to the woods and let him explore all that was around him. Sometimes, the animals would cautiously approach him. Still, they’d never get as close to him as they would you. The boy didn’t mind, he was just thrilled to see them. It fed his imagination and allowed him to grow a respect for nature.

One day, you were leading the boy through the woods to your tree. His parents had asked you to take him while they planned a surprise for him. You didn’t mind and listened to him talk about his friends at school. Though, your attention soon drifted away from him. You stopped dead in your tracks when you saw it. There was a purple lilac bush in full bloom next to your tree. A sob escaped your lips when you realized it had been eight years since you’ve last seen Crowley.

“What’s wrong?” the boy asked when he heard you crying. He hugged you and told you to not be sad.

“I’m not sad,” you whispered and returned the hug. “Well, maybe a little. But I’m also happy.”

“What do you mean?” He looked up at you in confusion.

“Emotions can be complicated, but that’s a good thing. It’s what helps us be human,” you began to explain. You took a deep breath and started to describe what you were feeling, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone I love. We met right there.” You pointed to the tree. “I always come back to remember him. Sometimes, I’ll find notes from him, but I’ll never see him. The lilac bush…It’s from him.”

The boy looked at the flowers and a wide grin spread on his face. “So he’s invisible then, right?”

You laughed lightly and wiped away your tears. “Something like that.”

“Wow! Imagine if there were just a whole bunch of invisible people, always leaving gifts behind! Say, do you think when we get back to my house, we’ll find some gift from invisible people?”

“Maybe!” you hummed. “It is your birthday, after all, Adam.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Armageddon.

It had been a little over eleven years. Eleven long years since you’ve last seen Crowley. The lilac bush that had appeared never went out of bloom. Even when there was snow, the flowers held on strong. You visited it and the tree every day. You’d smell the flowers and trace the patterns of bark. The animals would always be singing to you, no matter when you’d go.

But one evening, the woods were silent. You froze when you first stepped foot from the urban barrier to the wild one. Your heart started hammering in your chest. The woods were quiet. They weren’t singing. Your feet started to carry you in a slow walk, but it changed to a sprint.

“Crowley!?” you screamed as you ran to your tree as fast as possible. “Crowley, are you here?”

Your feet stopped suddenly. There was a man standing with his back to you. His head was resting on the tree. A sob burst through your lips and you threw yourself to him You arms wrapped around him and clutched onto the front of his shirt.

Slowly, his hands went up and clung onto yours. He started shaking, much like the night eleven years ago.

“I’m sorry,” he rasped out. “I’m so sorry, [Y/N].” You felt drops of water fall onto your hands.

“Sorry for what?” you managed to croak out.

Crowley slowly turned around and pulled you into a hug. You realized the drops of water were tears falling from his eyes. His grip grew tighter on you. You could only return the embrace.

“I failed,” he whispered. “I messed up. I’ve gone and lost the antichrist. The boy I was watching wasn’t him. And I…” Crowley sobbed. “I failed you. I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, Crowley. No,” you spoke softly and managed to pull yourself away. You placed both of your hands on his face and gave him a small smile. “Look at me, Crowley. It’s not your fault, okay? This isn’t on you. You didn’t fail me, not at all. I’m just so glad I was able to see you again.” You stood on your tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “It’s not over yet, right? Let me help.”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that,” Crowley said. “You could get hurt. But you’re right. It’s not over yet. I still have time. Somehow, I’ll stop this.” He quickly kissed your forehead and began to walk away.

“Crowley, wait,” you called and grabbed his hand. “Please let me help. I’ll do anything.”

Crowley looked at you for a moment. “I need you to stay safe. I’ll see you again before it goes down.” He stepped towards you and pressed his lips against yours, putting as much passion as possible into it. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” you whispered. He quickly ran off with new determination.

The birds began singing as you stood there, staring at the spot where he just was.

“The antichrist…” you muttered. “He was born almost eleven years ago. Oh my god.”

Birds shot out of the trees. You started sprinting out of the woods, searching for any sign of Crowley. You couldn’t find him, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t find the antichrist on your own. He was probably with The Them, wherever they would be. Possibly taking Dog out on a run. At least, you had hoped so. You had to stop him. You had to stop Adam from ending the world.

Your feet had slowed to a stop. You didn’t know what you would do to stop Adam. You couldn’t hurt him. You loved him. He was like a nephew to you. You couldn’t even believe that a boy like him could bring about the end of the world. Sure, he could get in trouble from time to time. But he would never kill anyone, let alone the entire population. All you could do was keep a close eye on him and hope that Crowley would figure it out.

\--

Every day, you’d keep tabs on Adam. On Sunday, when you had gone to check on him, he wasn’t at his home. You ran to his base, and he wasn’t there either. Your heart hammered in your chest. The woods were growing silent. It wasn’t the type of silence that accompanied Crowley. This was pure, unadulterated fear.

You looked around Tadfield desperately, ignoring the raging winds. You were walking along the road when four motorcyclists sped by. A nearby bird fled from it as quickly as it possibly could. The breath in your lungs got trapped. There was something wrong with them.

You sprinted as fast as you could after the oil spill one of them had left behind. If your hunch was right, Adam would be either just in front of them or just behind them. You almost tripped when a moped flew over your head. Yes, you were going in the right direction.

Gasping for breath, you stopped running once you saw the military base. A man with an oversized gun and a woman were arguing with a guard. You didn’t see Adam or Crowley there. Slowly, you made your way over, trying to avoid detection from the guard holding the giant gun.

“You! Freeze right there! I don’t know who you people all think you are, but you all need to leave!” the guard yelled at you. You swallowed down your fear and kept walking towards him.

The guard stopped pointing his gun once music came blasting from down the road. You turned around and faltered backward a few steps. An older car came roaring towards you. Not only was the car itself roaring, but the flames surrounding it were as well. It came to a stop and a familiar figure stepped out.

”You wouldn’t get that sort of performance from a modern car.”

“Crowley?” the woman, err, man sighed with relief.

“Hey, Aziraphale! I see you found a ride. Nice dress. Suits you.” Crowley sauntered over with a somewhat charred book in hand. His eyes glanced over to where you were and he froze in place. “[Y/N]? What are you doing here?”

“The antichrist is a boy named Adam,” you said and quickly walked over towards him. “I can’t find him, so I followed a weird group of motorcyclists here. Listen, Adam…He’s a good kid.”

“No, why are you here? It’s too dangerous for you to be here. You need to leave.”

“No! I want to help!”

“You can help by staying safe!” Crowley hissed. He raised a hand and snapped his fingers.

You blinked. You were at your tree and lilac bush. Crowley and his flaming car were gone. Tears built up your eyes and you fell to the ground. You sobbed. You wanted to help him. If the end of the world couldn’t be averted, you wanted to at least be with him.

“Dammit, Crowley,” you cried.

You wrapped your arms around your knees and buried your head in your arms. Every little bird singing in the woods made your heart clench tightly. The woods were singing, which meant that Crowley wasn’t there.

“Please be okay, please be okay,” you chanted to yourself. You weren’t sure how you would know if something happened to Crowley. Would you just never see him again? Would the lilac bush die? Would you start aging again? “Please be okay.”

You kept chanting. Just listening to yourself. You couldn’t stand listening to the woods. It was just a reminder. Then, you felt two hand place themselves on your arms. You looked up suddenly. Standing before you was your demon.

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve been struggling with acute stress disorder and animals always calm me down, so here’s a little something.


End file.
